Common Peace

In 1960, in Nashville, Tennessee, anCommon Peace d Greensboro, North Carolina thousands of college students risked their lives by daring to be seated at the lunch counters of the local five and dime stores where they regularly shopped. A normal, everyday occurrence for most of us ---- but these seatings, and subsequent seatings at these same lunch counters by both African American and Caucasian students in support of the end of segregation in the south, was the beginning of a major transformation, first in the south, and ultimately, in the entire United States which resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Bill in 1964. This simple act of nonviolent protest against the laws of segregation was a powerful shot which ultimately rang out as a loud and clear message to the people and government of the United States and the world ---- that what the Declaration of Independence stated, would in fact, be implemented. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . .
Through our work as Common Peace, Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence, we honor those who have come before us in the name of nonviolent protest and change, and continue their commitment and powerful work. As taught by Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mohandas K. Gandhi, "nonviolence" is a powerful, effective, pro-active tool. It engages our inner and outer selves, and unifies our personal, professional and global relationships.
As Common Peace , our focus is "nonviolence education" ---- educating the public about the power of "nonviolence" as a pro-active expression of participation and change in the world. In alignment with our focus, we offer nonviolence education tools to the public in the form of a nonviolence school (or home schooling) "curriculum" entitled 64 Ways to Practice Nonviolence currently published by Pro-Ed, Inc. Publishers proedinc.com, community healing forums, adult and children nonviolence trainings, and other effective communication workshops that educate individuals and groups of all ages in the use and power of "nonviolence" as a daily practice and way of life that heals individuals, families and communities. We also share the vision of nonviolence as the global standard for resolving conflict.
Through our work, we honor the students of the 1960's sit-ins and Civil Rights Movement and so many other courageous individuals around the world over the centuries who have embraced and embodied the principles of "nonviolence," who have stepped out into the world, and activated personal and political, individual and global changes through "nonviolent" action.
We at Common Peace exist to nurture the spirit of "nonviolence" in our personal lives and communities and to demonstrate that every individual can move the world in the direction of peace through their nonviolent choice and action. While this is a noble task, we are clear that we cannot do this work without you, our partners and supporters. Without you, we have the ways but not the means through which to realize our mission and actualize our potential and the potential of thousands of students, teachers, participants and residents in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas.